Plunge
by seethedawn
Summary: This was turning out to be far be easier than he had expected, but he would have to move fast. The gates would close again at midnight after all. AU in which Hans convinces Anna to say their marriage vows in secret before they go to Elsa seeking her blessing, and how this change would have affected the ending of the story. Happy ending, angst in the middle, lots of Kristoff!
1. Chapter 1

**Plunge **

"Do I like it?! I_ love_ it!"

There were familiar warm hands at her waist as Kristoff lifted her effortlessly into the air. Anna giggled happily as her skirts rippled in the wind, but Kristoff's exuberance is gone just as quickly as it came, his warm touch replaced with an awkwardness that is equally familiar.

"I mean, I'd like too," he's rambling, "May I? Me we? I mean, may we? Wait, what?"

His expression is so nervous and adorable that Anna almost cannot bear it. He is watching her hopefully out of the corner of his eye.

Anna loves this man. The full force of it hits her now, on this sunny pier, in a way that it didn't while struggling through the storm. She had needed Kristoff to love her because she had needed _someone_ to love her. But today - today she just loved him. And it was all so awful.

"Hey, hey now," his big hands are on either side of her face, gentle thumbs wiping tears from her cheeks. She hadn't noticed she was crying. He belatedly seemed to realize that he was touching her - she loved that about him too. Always touching. Always warm. So unlike the suits of armor she had pretended with for so long.

He pulled away, shuffling awkwardly and that uncomfortable hand is back up at his neck. "I'm sorry," he says, "I - That was stupid of me. I just got caught up in the moment."

At this Anna's silent tears become full blown sobs because, oh God has she been there. Kristoff throws a panicked look over his shoulder at Sven but the reindeer is looking pretty clueless himself.

"Anna?" He tries, drawing in closer.

She angrily wipes the tears from her face. She will be brave. She will be mature. She will face her mistakes.

"Kristoff, I have something I need to tell you." Her voice comes out smaller than she had intended.

And a large, cold stone drops heavily into the pit of Kristoff's stomach.


	2. Chapter 2

_People make bad choices, when they're sad or scared or stressed_

"Can I say something crazy?" He threw himself down onto one knee and took her small hand in his, barley pausing for breath, "will you marry me?"

Her hand fliew up to her face, shocked, but before he had time to wonder if he's ruined it, a smile spreads across her face.

"Can I say something even crazier? YES!"

She was dragging him along behind her, as she flew down a flight of stairs, eager to get back to the ball, babbling frantically about Elsa.

He stopped, gripping her hand tightly so that she was stopped short with him.

"Hans?"

He dropped his eyes self-consciously and shuffled his feet.

"Hans, what is it?" She asked, properly concerned now.

"It's just – I'm just – Well, it's Elsa."

He gave an exaggerated wince, aware that he needed to tread carefully though the minefield that was Elsa.

Indeed, Anna had withdrawn her hand from his grip and stepped back from him.

"What about Elsa?"

"I'm just...scared," he broke eye contact with her and hunched his shoulders as if the admission had cost him a great deal, "It's just – love is an open door!" He turned back to her and smiled as he said it, but turned away to study the wall as he continued, "And Elsa, well. Elsa closes doors."

She was silent. Her face was screwed up stupidly like she was thinking really really hard. But suddenly the tension eased from her shoulders and she took his chin in her hand and pulled his face back around towards hers.

"What should we do?"

And he had won. It hadn't even been hard.

"I think we should say our vows, right here, right now!"

Anna looked around the narrow stone stairwell, hesitant. He pushed harder.

"Just for now. We'll say our vows, then go to Elsa for her blessing, and then we can have the most wonderful wedding, with everyone there! We wouldn't ever have to tell her, it would be our secret, just to make sure no one can keep us apart."

"You want me to lie?" She asked, quiet and unsure.

He almost rolled his eyes.

"I know, Anna, but if Elsa doesn't bless the marriage tonight, I might lose you..." He trailed off, casting a glance at her worried face, and then gave the final push.

"I thought you loved me, Anna?"

**{ - } **

Sitting in his sleigh, Kristoff is huge next to her and she's already struggling not to scoot closer to him. He's a furnace and the night is so cold.

"Who marries a man they just met?!"

His words strike something inside Anna, a nagging worry that she should have waited. She'd been so sure that Elsa would have seen that it was true love and given her immediate blessing, then the whole issue would have been moot.

At least now she knows _why_ Elsa always wanted to be alone.

But Kristoff was still watching her, waiting for the explanation that could make the whole situation make sense.

So she gave him the only answer she has, the one she has been repeating to her self for hours now.

"It's true love!"

**{ - } **

He had assumed that she'd died out there on the mountain, so he certainly was relived that she'd made it back. It would have been harder to convince the kingdom that they had actually said their vows when Anna had disappeared entirely. But she was here now, babbling about trolls and true love's kiss and he had a series of decisions to make.

Troll magic is obviously nonsense. Clearly Elsa has done something to her sister and only Elsa can undo it. He cannot lose his ticket to the throne, not like this. It only works if Elsa dies first.

Elsa's death certainly seems like the only option, unless he wants to become the widowed prince-consort of a frozen kingdom.

He moved away from Anna on the sofa and toward the door. She started struggling behind him, trying to get herself up.

"No, Hans, wait!" Her tears are freezing on her cheeks, "You can't leave! We need to kiss!"

He pauses by the open door, "Anna, stay put and I'll take care of Elsa."

He locks the door to prevent her from doing anything stupid, and tells the nobles that his _wife_ is dying of Elsa's curse and they set out into the storm to deliver the Queen her sentence.

**{ - }**

Anna leads Kristoff down to the docks. It's more secluded there, so when they settle on a bench overlooking the fjord, Kristoff put a comforting arm around her shoulders. He wanted to make some promise to her. To swear that they can get through whatever it is that has upset her, as long as they are together. But the words catch in his throat, and he found himself incapable of making such a declaration out loud.

By the time she has finished talking, he has pulled back his arm and she has started sobbing again. She looked up at him with tearful, pleading eyes.

"Elsa can fix it, Kristoff, she has to! I know she can!"

But Kristoff has heard that before.

He has opened up and shared so much of himself with this girl. More than he has ever shown to any other human.

But it was a mistake.

**{ - }**

A/N – Hi Guys. So I know that Kristoff says, "who marries a man they just met" while they're being attacked by the wolves, but I've switched it with, "you got engaged to a man you just met that day" because it fits better. Everything besides what I have shown to be different here, happens exactly like it did in the movie.

Let me know what you think!


	3. Chapter 3

Elsa's day had started off quite well actually. She had shared a pleasant breakfast with Anna, who had gushed about a certain new sled for a certain ice harvester. Then, she had signed off on the official creation and appointment of Kristoff Bjorgman to the position of Andrelle's Royal Ice Master and Deliverer. She hoped that he would see the gesture for what it was – a gentle invitation to remain in Anna's life, rather than anything mocking or pitying.

Anna had bitten her lip then and requested an audience with Elsa later on that day, apparently having something quite important to talk to her sister about. Elsa had fixed her sister with a preemptive glare and declared, "Anna, I swear, if you come to me engaged I will deploy my Ice Master to the North Pole!"

Not getting the giggling response she had expected should have been her first clue that this day was not going to go her way. Instead, Anna had just made her promise to be in her office at two o'clock. The Anna that Elsa knew had no head for appointments, but that had been a long time ago now. Perhaps this was one of the ways her baby sister had grown up.

By the time two o'clock rolled around Elsa was having a very different type of day. She had seriously considered rescheduling Anna.

Her desk was littered with papers. On top were the estimates for the repairs to the ice damaged sections of her castle. Then there was the fat stack of petitions for royal reparations for the damage done to almost every single ship that had been in either the fjord or harbor. Then there was the mess that had been made out of the harbor itself!

Not to mention the sizable hole that had appeared in the walls of Andrelle's only prison.

The physical damage done to the city was going to cost more that Andrelle's entire treasury, no question about it. But, as she had been their Queen for only three days now and she had in fact been the one to cause the damage in the first place, she could hardly expect to raise taxes to pay for it all.

And that was just the physical damage! The dignitaries of every surrounding country had returned home with tales of the Witch-Queen of Andrelle and they wouldn't even have needed to exaggerate their tales of slowly freezing to death in her castle.

_International Incident_ didn't entirely cover it.

To make it all worse, Hans of the Southern Isles, who had fearlessly led her people for more than half of her official reign, was in prison for attempted murder. The people of Andrelle had submitted a petition that morning seeking his immediate release. It was carefully worded – very carefully. It upset her that her people felt the need to walk on such delicate egg shells around her – but it essentially came down to the fact that the people of Andrelle saw Hans' attempt on Elsa's own life as a misguided attempt to save both Princess Anna and Andrelle itself from an icy death. Cause unspecified, but heavily implied.

The fact was that Elsa quite agreed. She'd signed off on his release almost immediately. After all, the way she saw it, two men had braved her storm for Anna's sake. Why should one be rewarded and the other imprisoned? And if one of them happened to be a Prince with proven leadership and crisis response skills? Well...

Needless to say, Elsa was having a busy and stress filled day. But she couldn't cancel on Anna. Not when they were just taking the first steps to fixing their relationship.

**{ - } **

"You _**what**_!?"

"I – well – _we_, I suppose. We said our vows. Our marriage vows, that is, you know, to each other," Anna continues her nervous babbling, but all Elsa can hear is the rushing in her ears. She looks across her office to Kristoff, who's standing towards the back, shuffling from one foot to the next, wringing his cap between large hands. He does look terribly out of place. Elsa has the unbidden thought that _at least it was Hans._ If her sister had to go behind her back and pledge herself to a man, at least it's a Prince, at least Andrelle knows him and loves him already.

But she frowns and dispels the thought, ashamed. Anna needs her as a sister, not as a scheming monarch.

Even though she didn't care for her sister's blessing, or even her presence while she said her vows. To a complete stranger.

She really doesn't know this young woman standing in front of her. At all.

She sinks into her large wooden office chair, leaning heavily on its wooden frame.

"You said your vows to a man less than two hours after you met him?" She interrupts Anna, incredulously.

_And you didn't want me there?_ She doesn't say.

"Well, no, I mean, I met him right before the coronation ceremony actually."

"Oh, pardon me. _Five_ hours then," Elsa distantly heard herself make a chocked, hysterical noise, "do forgive me in that case. I'm _clearly_ overreacting."

Anna's big green eyes are brimming with tears now and Elsa regrets her outburst, but not so much that it overwhelms her hurt, so she doesn't apologize.

"It was a _mistake_, Elsa. I don't know what else you want me to say. I'm _sorry_. But I need your help to fix it!"

Elsa frowns, "I'm not entirely sure what it is you're expecting me to be able to fix here, Anna."

Anna's whole body jerks. In the background Elsa sees Kristoff hang his head.

"W – what? What do you mean? You're the _Queen_!"

"Yes," Elsa nods, "and I can banish the pair of you for marrying without my consent, if you like," Elsa holds her hands up, in a helpless gesture, "but Anna, you've _vowed_ yourself to this man. That's not something I have the power to undo."

Anna has become so visibly upset by this point that Kristoff ventures forward and hugs Anna close to his side. Elsa feels a stab of jealousy and upset as she watches him rest his chin on the top of her sister's head. But Elsa can't comfort Anna here, she can't make this go away.

"Can't we just lie?" Kristoff asks, "We're the only ones who know, after all. We can just not say anything."

"Hans would doubtless object," Elsa points out.

Kristoff's face screws up in anger, "Well who cares about _Hans_? We can just say he's lying!"

Elsa looks to Anna, who is already shaking her head and pulling out of Kristoff's grasp to stand on her own.

"No," she says, "I can't lie. Besides, when we-" the two immediately break eye contact, "I mean, if we-" Kristoff starts scratching at the back of his neck and they've both gone beet red, "I mean, if _I_ ever get married later, then it wouldn't be real."

Elsa watches the two of them as they gaze into each others eyes and she knows it's time to take control of the situation.

"Kristoff," he snaps to attention and yes, she thinks, this may actually be the first time she's ever directly acknowledged him, "could I have a word with my sister? Alone?"

"Oh, of course," He's looking around her office like he's only just realized where he is. He turns to leave, pausing to pat Anna awkwardly on the shoulder, but Anna seizes him, wrapping both of her arms around his one and wrenches him back around with her.

"No, Elsa. Whatever you want to say to me, you can say in front of Kristoff!"

And that is just too familiar and apparently Elsa's limit. The window behind them freezes over so quickly that the glass shatters. The air outside is considerably warmer than the inside of Elsa's office, so it's not the end of the world. Kristoff and Anna both flinch.

"No, Anna, it's fine. I'll leave you to talk in private."

Kristoff almost trips over his own feet as he scrambles from the office. Anna must have realized her mistake because she does nothing to stop him.

"Sorry, Elsa," She says in a small voice once they're alone.

Elsa becomes aware of the massive mahogany desk that sits between them and she moves around it to take Anna's hands in her own. She has spent a good deal of time over the course of this last week wishing for her Father's guidance, but now it is her Mother's comforting presence that she misses.

She's still struggling to think of something helpful to say when Anna speaks next.

"He's not my true love, Elsa."

How young Anna is, Elsa thinks.

"He was three days ago," she points out, gently.

"He didn't believe me about the trolls! He _left me_ in that room! To go kill _you_, I might add!"

"Most people don't believe in trolls, Anna. And as to... the other matter, well. I believe that he was trying to save you. To save Andrelle," Anna looks away, a dark expression on her face, "If you can forgive me for putting you in danger in the first place, why is it so hard to forgive his misguided reaction?"

"Fine! I forgive him," Anna says in a tone that is equal parts dismissive and unconvincing, "but I don't want to be married to him, Elsa!"

"I don't know what to tell you, Anna. You married him already."

Anna's head drops. She looks so young and forlorn that Elsa draws her into a hug.

"You have the right to petition for a divorce, but he has the right to deny you. The problem is, you're a princess, Anna. You can't meet, marry and divorce a man within the space of a week. And you certainly can't take up with a - "commoner? Ice harvester? "Well, Kristoff isn't really an option any more. It's just part of the responsibility that comes with living with the gates open."

Anna is crying now, clutching at the back of Elsa's dress.

"Listen, Anna, everyone makes mistakes, okay? But part of growing up is learning to live with your mistakes. Give Hans a chance. For me? You never know, maybe you'll fall in love with him again, hmm?"

Anna draws back, sniffling, but she attempts a smile.

"Okay, Elsa. I'll try."

**{ - }**

**A/N - ** Hi Guys. I hope you're enjoying my story. I felt like I should preemptively defend my Elsa here, in case anyone disagrees with how she's being portrayed here. First of all, I have a younger sister who's really impulsive and makes rash decisions which she needs help getting out of after, and so Elsa here is partly based on myself and my personal experience with the frustration of helping a younger sibling with problems that are entirely of their own making.

But, I do believe that Elsa would be less inclined to accept Kristoff than Hans based solely on the fact of their respective class. Elsa was isolated from _everyone, _whereas Anna was only isolated from the outside world. So, Anna would have grown up with servants as companions, which would have made her more inclined to see lower class people as her equals. But Elsa, who was older when the gates were closed, probably absorbed more of the class consciousness which would have been a reality at this time.

Anyway, please let me know what you think!


	4. Chapter 4

**Plunge**

**Chapter Four**

**{ - }**

Kristoff was lost. Physically as well as otherwise. He had intended on going out to the stables and visiting Sven. He always found himself much more able to sort through his thoughts when he could talk it all out with his oldest friend. But Anna had led him, at breakneck speeds, into the very heart of the castle and now that he'd been dismissed, he didn't have the faintest idea how to find his way back out. Not wanting to be caught loitering around the Queen's office, he'd chosen left. Now he was just wondering up and down various ornate hallways, occasionally sticking his head through an open door into lavish rooms, each bigger than the last, and all bigger than any place he'd ever lived.

_This is where Anna grew up_, he thought, despondently, _This is what she's use too. _

His face flushed at the thought of his earlier, humiliating attempt to kiss her.

He stopped briefly in front of a massive painting of a spotted dog. The frame was clearly gold and the picture itself was longer than Kristoff was tall. It would be worth more money than Kristoff could ever hope to hold at one time in his whole life and here it was, just hanging in some hallway.

_This is Anna's normal. _

Anna's jaunt up the mountain with him had been an adventure for her. She hadn't been put off by the cold, or the snow, or the danger, or even by Kristoff himself, because all the while she knew she had _this _waiting for her once her little foray into the real world came to an end. Kristoff could easily see how that kind of assurance and security could give a person Anna's kind of courage.

He would never be able to blame himself for falling for her. Anna was amazing. She was positive and determined and kind and smart and funny and genuine, but also helpless in a way that really tugged at Kristoff's heart. No, falling in love with Anna had been an inevitability. But it may have been for the best that she had a prince here, waiting to sweep her off her feet and give her everything that she deserved. Everything Kristoff didn't have to give in the first place.

The picture of the two of them riding off into the sunset together was almost perfect. Would be perfect, even Kristoff would have to admit it, but for one thing. If only they hadn't married. Maybe if they'd only gotten engaged, like Anna had originally told him. It would be easier, Kristoff thought, to trust Hans if he hadn't talked Anna into saying her vows to him, secretly, isolated from all the family she had left. His blatant manipulation of Anna rubbed Kristoff entirely the wrong way.

Yeah, that was it. The blatant manipulation thing. Not at all the fact that Kristoff loved Anna and Hans had taken her from him before he even had a chance. No, not that. Not that at all.

Kristoff was still standing, gazing at the Sven-sized dalmatian, trying for the life of him to figure out just what about this art was he supposed to be appreciating, specifically?

"Ah! There he is!" Kristoff was startled out of his examination to see Hans himself striding toward him down the long corridor. He's in new clothes now and he's dry and smiling and Kristoff's first instinct is to run. If they'd met outside, in the town or on the mountain, Kristoff thinks he might feel more comfortable. But he's so far outside his element here inside the stone walls of Elsa's castle and this is Hans' normal, just like it is Anna's. Kristoff just feels trapped. It's a ridiculous instinct nevertheless and Kristoff stays put and offers Anna's husband a halfhearted wave.

"Half the castle's looking for you!" Hans tells him once he's close enough to not have to shout anymore, "You've been invited to dinner, but first you must join me in one of the drawing-rooms while we wait for the women to get ready, eh? Come on, who knows how long that might take?" He makes a face that Kristoff thinks is suppose to encourage camaraderie, but Kristoff was raised by trolls, so he isn't really sure what he's supposed to contribute.

Hans, however, isn't interested in Kristoff's contribution and he turns away, leading the way back down the corridor with a commanding little wave.

Kristoff doesn't want to spend any time at all with this man and he's honestly thinking about just returning to his art appreciation when he catches himself casting a glance over his shoulder to where Sven's face would usually be and thinks to himself, _maybe a little male human interaction is due. _

**{ - } **

Kristoff knows that extended periods of silence tend to make people uncomfortable but he's never been one for unnecessary chatter. Unless he's trying to say something, or ask something he's generally content with silence.

The problems generally arise because Kristoff isn't good at recognizing when a silence goes from _comfortable_ to _extended. _That was the great thing about Anna. She was so direct. When she didn't want silence, she simply spoke. And he never got annoyed listening to her either.

However, in this specific instance, Kristoff had in fact noticed that the silence was rather _extended_. But it was clearly making Hans uncomfortable, so Kristoff was perfectly happy to keep his mouth shut.

The room Hans had led him to was truly unbelievable. The entire house Kristoff had been born in could have fit and the chimney wouldn't even graze the ceiling. Two of the walls were made up entirely of windows which opened up to a vast garden and Kristoff was genuinely worried about trusting his weight to the delicately carved legs of the chairs.

Kristoff thinks that perhaps Hans wants him to be gushing about the room or the dinner invitation, but the fact is that, though he is undeniably impressed, Kristoff would truly rather wait in the stables. He'd eat there too, if it were really up to him. Overall, Kristoff is uncomfortable and only the thought of seeing Anna keeps him there, perched ridiculously on the edge of his tiny, overly cushioned chair.

"Brandy?" Hans offers. Kristoff feels a swell of petty pride that Hans had spoken first. _You may have won the girl, but I won the silence!_

"No, thanks," he says. Hans pours himself one.

Hans is staring at him now but that's fine with Kristoff too. Staring is one of the points of etiquette where the rules of Troll society are quite different. Kristoff just focuses on not picking at his hands and he looks out at the vibrant green of the garden. It's beautiful, now that Elsa's doing so much better.

"I understand that my Anna's quite taken with you," Says Hans out of the blue.

_My Anna_, Kristoff scoffs mentally. Anna's a force of nature in a way that even Elsa isn't. It's like saying, _My sunshine_.

"Oh, um, yeah?" Kristoff says, feeling himself blush stupidly. He hates talking. He may be able to make Hans uncomfortable with silence, but anyone can make him uncomfortable with conversation _so easily_.

"Yes," says Hans, leaning forward, "of course we're all so grateful to you for bringing her back to us."

Kristoff nods, slowly, looking around the room. Now the staring is starting to get to him.

"I mean who knows what could have happened to her out there on that mountain all by herself..." Hans continues and Kristoff sucks his upper lip in between his teeth in order to prevent himself from asking who had let her ride off in the night's blizzard by herself in the first place? "And, as I say, we are very grateful to have her home safe. I was just wondering how grateful you were expecting us to be?"

"What?" Asks Kristoff, confused.

"Well, it's been a few days now and you're still hanging around. I understand you've got your sled. I was just wondering what else it is going to take to shake you off the royal family?"

"_What_? I'm not expecting anything!" Kristoff says angrily, rising to his feet, "I told her I didn't need the sled either!"

Hans raises a sardonic eyebrow but he remains seated, unconcerned as he leans back, relaxing into the soft cushions behind him. Realizing he's fallen into Hans' trap – he's acting like the violent, rash _peasant_ Hans is expecting – Kristoff turns and stalks over to the window.

"How about a thousand gold pieces?" Asks Hans.

"What?" Kristoff whirls around but Hans isn't even looking at him anymore, he's inspecting the rim of his drink. "What are you talking about?"

"A thousand gold pieces and you disappear. No _Royal Ice Master_, no contact with _my_ wife. Just you walking away with more gold than you're likely to make in the next five years."

"Wha – I – Uh - " To his dismay Kristoff's attempt at an outraged, yet articulate sentence descends quickly into a series of chocked noises and spluttering sounds.

The patronizing smile that spreads across Hans' face as he waits for the poor overwhelmed peasant to string together a working sentence cuts straight through Kristoff's incoherence.

"No. I'm not here for money. I'm not here for the sled, or the stupid job. I'm here for Anna."

"Yes, that's all very well for you to say, but Anna's home now. She doesn't need you anymore, she's with her people. And I can't exactly have you lumbering around here making her and I look like fools, now can I?"

Kristoff's face is burning with equal parts shame and anger and he's about to say something, he's not sure what, but it's gonna be good, he's sure of that, but a bell sounds from the depths of the castle. Hans stands and straightens the sleeves of his jacket.

"The dressing bell," he explains, "it's to be a formal dinner I think. I'd offer you something to change into but lets not kid ourselves, eh? No point pretending that another man's ill-fitting suit will be able to make _you_ fit in _here, _now is there?"

He takes one last, long, sip of his drink, then sets it down on the glass end table with a resounding _clink_ and strides from the room without sparing Kristoff another glance.

**{ - } **

Kristoff's not at dinner. It's making Anna really, really anxious. She's not hungry anyway and she's definitely not interested in hearing about the trade exports of the Southern Isles. Dinner has gotten so boring after Olaf burned himself with soup the first day back. He'd lost his enthusiasm for eating with them and hadn't shown up for dinner since.

"Somebody went back to check the drawing-room to double-check, right?"

"Anna, Hans was speaking," says Elsa from the head of the table, with some force. Anna can tell her sister is done talking about this. It's just the three of them tonight, Hans is sitting to Elsa's left, and Anna's opposite him. She turns to Hans and says, "I'm sorry Hans. It's just that maybe he got lost? I'll feel so bad that we started without him! Or maybe his suit doesn't fit right? You told him we had a suit for him, didn't you?"

A beat.

"Yes, of course," says Hans.

"You hesitated," Anna accused.

"No! It's just... I don't want to betray confidences."

"What confidences? Kristoff confided in you?" Anna really hadn't meant for the last part to sound so downright disbelieving but in her defense it was a little hard to imagine.

"Don't put Hans on the spot like that, Anna," said Elsa. Anna scowled and crossed her arms across her chest. Of course _Elsa_ didn't care that Kristoff hadn't shown up for dinner. She'd care two weeks from now when he was found, starving and lost in the unused West Wing of the castle though!

"Anna," said Hans, reluctantly, "I offered Kristoff your suit and he got quite... upset? Offended, I suppose. He took the suggestion as an implication that he wasn't sufficient as he is, I think. I tried to explain that he was welcome to dinner however dressed, but he stormed out," he reached across the table to place one hand over Anna's, which lay by her unused silverware. She drew her hand back. "I'm sorry for not telling you the first time you asked, I just didn't want to upset you."

It may have been close to a decade since Anna and Elsa had been truly close but any little sister in the world could recognize the expression on Elsa's face as the universal oh-look-I-was-right mouth twist and eyebrow raise combo.

Anna lowered her gaze. So it was because of something she'd done after all.

Again.

**{ - }**

The rest of dinner could not have gone by slower. Anna was bouncing her leg up and down under the table because she needed to do _something_. Thankfully Hans and Elsa were good enough to pretend they didn't notice the tapping. She didn't know what she would do if she'd been asked to stop.

Luckily Elsa had already promised to take Hans on a walk through the gardens and explain some of the boundaries Anna needed to set up before Elsa would officially recognize the marriage. So, as soon as the final plate was cleared from the table, Anna took off for the stables.

She really hoped he hadn't taken off up the mountain already. It wasn't snowing or anything, but still she did _not_ want to have to chase someone up there for the second time this week!

**{ - } **

**A/N – **Hi all! I really appreciate all the reviews I'm getting for this story! I feel like I need to clarify a few points though. This story will not be Elsa/Kristoff. They will interact a good deal more than they did in the movie, but I'm firmly in camp Anna/Kristoff. Also, my Hans is pretty much irredeemably evil, as we're going to start to see.

Please let me know what you think!


	5. Chapter 5

Elsa pressed her eyes closed for a moment as Anna's rushed footsteps echoed down the hall. Anna's absence always brought with it a silence that was as familiar to Elsa as it was unwelcome.

Truly, _truly_, Elsa wished she could grant Anna back her agency, but unfortunately Anna's decision to wed Hans that night would undoubtedly reverberate through the rest of their lives.

Elsa needed to be less harsh with her sister, she knew that. Everyone makes decisions that they regret. All you can do is strive to make the best of the situation. After all, it was hardly Anna's fault she had been so alone that night, not was she to blame for the naivete which had allowed her to fall prey to an opportunistic social climber.

Elsa opened her eyes just in time to catch something dark passing across Hans' face as he watched Anna run.

Elsa remembered her Father telling her the same thing as he piled her desk high with books about economics, history and language; "_May as well make the best of it, Elsa."_

Sadly she remembers seeing Anna's shadow settle in the hall while she practiced the vocal element of her language studies, like she just wanted to know her sister was still in there.

Elsa was determined now to do the same for her sister as their Father had done for her. The marriage, though regrettable, had happened. Elsa would just have to do whatever it took to make it the best for Anna that it could be.

Movement broke Elsa out of her reverie. Servants were gathering in the doorway to the kitchen, waiting for her to leave so they could clear the table. Hans too had stayed, bound by decorum to remain seated until his Queen stood first.

Elsa dreaded many aspects of her rule as much as she feared basic personal interaction. It was a bad mix. And here she found herself needing to impose her will on her brother-in-law and successor. But she owed it to Anna and she had already let her sister down often enough already.

"Would you care to join me in the garden, Hans?" She asked as she stood. He looked slightly startled, but recovered quickly enough, offering his elbow as Elsa led him out of the large, French-Style doors.

"I do not wish to deceive you, Prince Hans. I would speak frankly with you," she said as soon as they were out of earshot of the dining room. She wanted to get this over with.

"Of course, Queen Elsa," He offered instantly.

"Very well," She took a deep, steadying breath and ignored the crunch of the frosted grass underfoot. "I have no illusions as to the motives of a 13th son of a King in marrying the sole heir of an unmarried Queen." Beside her Hans spluttered indignantly. She silenced him with a raised finger, "But that is not what I have brought you out here to discuss. Save your declarations of true love for my sister, please. I want to come to an agreement tonight about how we are to proceed from here."

The next bit has been considered from every possible angle for the better part of the afternoon, in the company of only her Father's most trusted advisers. Their immediate assumption upon hearing the tale had stiffened Elsa's resolve to do whatever it took to salvage the situation. Both had simply assumed that the relationship between Hans and the Princess had been consummated and that Anna, newly with child, had been instantly married and that _this_ was the story Elsa needed their help covering up.

And that was precisely what Anna failed to understand. She had married a man the very same day that she had met him. Although Elsa knew it had been a chaste event, everyone else was simply going to assume the worst. Baby or not, the couple had been forced to marry by Elsa herself. If the marriage failed to work out, blame would be placed on Anna, because she clearly lacked the virtue expected of a Prince's wife. Her reputation would be utterly wrecked. The Ice Queen's harlot sister.

No. Elsa owed it to her parents and to Anna herself to do all that she could to prevent that from happening.

The people of Andrelle were to be told that Princess Anna had been in contact with Prince Hans for some months by way of letters. Naturally, after such a distant engagement, the couple chose to marry the very day that the gates were opened. Their happy union was not announced at the time because no one wanted to cast a shadow on the celebration of Elsa's coronation. The summer storms incident naturally pushed all thought of an official announcement from the mind of the Royal family. Prince Hans had indeed been briefly imprisoned in the confusing aftermath of the storms, but it was determined that his attempt on the Queen's life was an act of bravery through which he hoped only to save his young wife's life. He had, of course, been cleared of all charges and would be honored for his service to Andrelle during the crisis.

Hans agreed as readily as she had expected. In addition to keeping Anna from looking like a silly flirt with little understanding of consequences or the weight of vows, the story was designed to paint Hans in a positive light, preventing him from appearing to be a manipulative, power-hungry lecher who had preyed on the innocence of the Queen's naive younger sister.

Anna would hate the lie, never having been anything less than her most true self. But if she wanted to live her life with the gates open then she would have to come to understand that there are sacrifices in life. But, for Anna to eventually come to be happy in her marriage, she had to go back to believing in their love. Therefore;

"However, before the story is made public, I would have you agree to several stipulations."

They had circled the terrace garden three times by this point and the sun was well below the horizon. Elsa didn't feel entirely responsible for the chill in the air. The light layer of snow on the ground on the other hand...

She stopped walking and turned to Hans, feeling the water in the air crystallize, hanging in the air, obvious as the implied threat.

"Understand this. You will not bed Anna until she is ready. You will not share a marriage suite until she arranges it. For all intents and purposes the two of you have entered into a formal courtship," she stared up into his unreadable face, as serious about this as she had ever been about anything in her life, "You will be the perfect husband, and she will fall in love with you and once I am gone you will have your crown. Do we have an agreement?"

**A/N - **Hi guys! Sorry it's been such a long time, it's been a crazy few months. I appreciate those of you who are still reading and I would love to hear your opinions. We will check back in with Anna and Kristoff next chapter :)

I would like to address the issue of Elsa in my story because I have had several comments about how out of character she seems to some people. Obviously, if my story were to 100% line up with the Disney version then none of this would have happened. We've all already seen the movie, after all. So, to a certain degree, yes, Elsa is acting this way because I need her to for the purpose of my story. I hope that this chapter helps to clear it up a bit. Elsa has a responsibility as the head of her family to take the action that she thinks her Father would have taken if he were around. Anna married a guy the day she met him, which is, ignoring the royalty issue for a moment, a total disgrace to the family. I think it's fair to say that everyone who hears that version immediately assumes that Anna and Hans have had sex. Elsa then has to resolve two issues to save her family's reputation. She has to legitimize the marriage, which she does with the whole story she makes up, and she has to keep the marriage from falling apart. That is what she's working on when she takes Hans' side over Anna's at other points in the story. If Anna has to be married to Hans, and in my story she does, then Elsa can at least try and make Anna happy by convincing her that she is in love with her husband. I'm sorry if she still seems out of character after this chapter, but I don't feel like she's too far off. After all, she's trying to do the right thing to keep her sister safe but she's just going about it in the wrong way. That's about as in-character as it gets for Elsa ;)

I just have to make it a little worse for Kristoff and Anna before I can fix it!

Thanks again for reading! Comments are super appreciated! I do try and take them into consideration.


	6. Chapter 6

Anna's breath came in short gasps as she sprinted along the hallways, dodging servants and calling apologies over her shoulder. The evening was far to warm to be running in her heavy skirts. As she crossed the cobble-stone court-yard her heart beat along with her panicked thoughts.

_Don't. Be. Gone. Don't be gone. Don'tbegone. _

But a part of her knew he would be. Everyone left eventually. Elsa, her parents, even Hans had left her freezing in that room. Sure, she'd gotten Elsa back, but it has taken _years_! And now Kristoff would leave too. Of course he would. What reason could she give him to stay? She had promised Elsa to really try her best with Hans.

Was she just being selfish? Should she just let Kristoff go?

The abhorrent thought stopped her short, just outside the stables.

Should she just let him leave?

_No_, she thought, _Kristoff deserves an apology, at least. _

_If he's still here. _

Anna took a fortifying breath and pulled at the heavy wooden door, expecting it to swing open dramatically.

It didn't.

Anna frowned and tugged again. Nothing. She gave the handle a few belligerent rattles. Did they lock the stable doors at night? She glanced around. The courtyard was empty, so she hiked her skirts up above her knee and swung her leg up so her foot rested flat against the other half of the double door, as high up as she could get it. She grasped the handle of the other door with both hands and pulled, pushing with her foot.

Suddenly the door she was hanging from swung open. She gave an undignified squawk as she swung with it, landing in a heap on her face at Kristoff's feet.

"Anna?" He said, confused.

Anna gave an awkward chuckle and she struggled to get her skirts in order - so many layers! - she'd never been a strict follower of decorum, but Kristoff had probably seen her knees!

He seemed to snap back to himself and with barley a moment's notice, "Here, let me help," he grasped her by her shoulders and effortlessly set her on her feet once again. He wasn't wearing his gloves and the warmth of his fingers lingered on Anna's bare shoulder.

"Thanks," she said. He nodded.

"That door opens in, not out," she said by way of an explanation. He nodded again.

At the other end of the stables Sven groaned loudly. Kristoff shot his best friend a menacing glare, but Anna didn't notice. She'd suddenly become aware that Sven was hitched up to Kristoff's new sled. Anna walked woodenly down the row of cubicles to stand by Sven. She could see Kristoff's remaining possessions piled at the back of the sled.

He was leaving.

Kristoff had followed her and now stood behind her, shuffling from one foot to the other, one hand scratching at the back of his neck. She turned around to look at him and they spent a few moments quietly watching each other.

"Where are you going to go?" She asked.

He shrugged, "Back up the mountain. Going to have to start from scratch."

Anna remembered his sled piled high with ice, must have been days worth of work, unloaded so he could prevent a stranger from harm. He was such a good person. She couldn't ask anything more from him.

"I'm sorry," she offered, tearing up for prehaps the billionth time that day. He frowned and cocked his head at her, confused.

"Why?"

She gave him a watery smile, pretending to be caught up in following the patterns in Sven's fur.

"Everything, I suppose. You lost all your ice because of me. I'm sorry about dinner. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable. And... I'm really sorry that I lied to you about, well, about Hans."

Kristoff dismissed her apologies with the wave of a hand. "Was Elsa able to come up with anything after I left?" He had convinced himself that there was no hope in his voice. He had stuck around to say goodbye, not to find out if he still had a chance.

Anna shook her head. "No. I'm married. I promised her I would try," she was quiet for a moment, lost in thought. She gripped a handful of Sven's mane, so when the reindeer sat, she sat down with him almost without realizing. Kristoff suddenly felt like a giant so he sat too, moving so he was leaning against Sven's back legs.

"It's just so stupid," she continued, "I only married him because I was scared. Elsa was going to close the gates again and I couldn't go back to being alone. I don't think I loved him. I mean, I think I knew that wasn't why," she looked up at Kristoff here, but luckily she didn't seem to be looking for a response. "I guess my Mother and Father were an arranged marriage," she smiled at him, "Elsa says my Mother once told her that loves comes slowly, like water smoothing a stone," she smiled at him. Kristoff found himself almost in pain at the beauty of her smile, "Elsa says it can be like that for me too, but I have to be willing to do put in the effort. She says it's not supposed to be easy."

As much as he dislikes the man, Kristoff found himself desperately hoping that everything he knows about the world is wrong, and that Anna's story can go that way. Even though he knows he has no place in that version.

"He would have to be crazy not to fall in love with you, Anna," he said, honestly. She blushed, and her eyes teared up again.

"Will you be back?" she asked, saving Kristoff from blurting out his unconditional love for his married princess.

He nodded, grateful to her for changing the subject. "Oh yeah, I sell ice in the town twice a month on market days. I'll be around." He nudged her with his shoulder. She giggled and threw out a hand from where they had been curled nervously in her lap.

"So I will see you then?" She asks, looking up at him hopefully. Her eyes are so pretty. He is so screwed. _Oh well_.

He smiles down at her, "I hope so."

**{ - } **

Across the castle grounds, an irate figure stalked away from the terrace gardens.

_How dare she!_ He fumed silently. _How dare she talk to me in such a way. _

"I would be frank with you, Prince Hans," he mimicked in a high pitched voice. And to think, she really expected to be able to place restrictions on his relationship with his own wife? It was beyond belief.

Elsa had been a constant series of surprises from the day he landed in Andrelle and he was thoroughly sick of it. First she has _magical powers_, and now a backbone? Oh no, he was not going to put up with this.

The whole plan was in shambles. He would need a new one. He had come to Andrelle expecting the royal sisters to be easy pickings. Isolated, lonely, desperate. But no, the Queen's an actual witch and Anna not only survived the whole ordeal but she came out of it with a challenger to his own position!

But he would have to deal with them all in a certain order. First he knew he had to separate the sisters. As soon as their relationship was broken his life would get infinitely more bearable. No more rules, no more pretending. Next he would get rid of that infernal mountain man. Then, and only then, would it be safe to take care of Elsa.

He had decided that he quite liked the idea of driving her to do it herself. He could get her to leave a note, perhaps. _My powers are an affront to nature. I can't live with the damage I have done to my people._ _Yadda yadda yadda... I hereby declare my sucessor..._

_Yes,_ he thought, picturing a golden crown, crowds of adoring subjects watching from below, _I can be patient. _

**{ - } **

**A/N - **Please let me know what you think!


	7. Chapter 7

**Plunge**

**Chapter 7**

**{ - }**

Anna had never known life could be so busy. Where once she had counted the number of seconds in an hour, now she had somewhere to be, all day, every day.

On Mondays she and Elsa received the grievances of the people. Elsa said this was an ancient tradition that had been neglected for far too long in Andrelle. Anna didn't get to talk during these, she just sat quietly by Elsa's right hand side, but she never got bored. She loved watching all of the people – it was always crowded, full of people either here to watch the proceedings, or to petition Elsa. Anna loved to hear their stories. It made her feel connected to the outside world in a way that she had never experienced before. Most of all though she loved watching Elsa be Queen. She was just and fair and regal and kind, everything Anna strove to be as well. No matter how busy or tired, Elsa always gave Mondays her complete attention.

Anna never missed a Monday, even though they started early. Sometimes Hans would lean over and whisper something mean about one of the cases into her hear and she had to smile like he had said something funny because otherwise the people would think that there was discord in the Royal Family. Even so, Mondays were one of Anna's favorite days.

Tuesdays were exciting because Anna never knew what to expect. Sometimes Elsa needed Anna to help receive dignitaries or diplomats. Other times Anna gave tours of the castle. Most of their public appearances were on Tuesdays, like when they went out into the city to visit the school. Tuesdays meant meeting new people and going to new places and Anna loved it. If she saw Elsa on Tuesdays it was always Elsa, Queen of Andrelle, because it was always during something official. But Elsa needed to be Queen or else she couldn't handle public appearances yet, so Anna didn't mind. Tuesday was one of Anna's favorite days because she really felt like she was doing something useful.

Tuesday was also Hans' day. They would find some time to go on a carriage ride through the different districts of Andrelle. Anna appreciated Hans taking the time. She knew it meant he was okay with courting her for a while instead of just jumping straight in to being husband and wife and that knowledge meant a lot to Anna, really.

It was just that it was a little bit boring.

Hans didn't want to get out of the carriage at all. Like ever. He didn't even really want the windows open and she knew that he preferred to keep the blinds down. He said it was enough for people to see the carriage and know that they were in there, that they didn't need to actually _see _them. Once Anna had caught sight of Kristoff and Sven in town a day early and she'd been so excited that she leaned out of the window and waved. Hans had pulled her back in and shut the blinds and since then they'd driven with the windows closed even though it was mid-summer and quite warm.

Hans didn't seem like he wanted to talk much either. He had been such a good listener at the Coronation Ball but recently it seemed like he wasn't interested. She kept talking though, mostly because she couldn't stand to sit in silence.

Wednesdays, however, made up for everything that Tuesdays weren't. Wednesday was market day and Anna loved market day. She loved how busy the city got, all those stalls squished into the city center, full of trinkets and smells and color. But best of all, Anna got to spend Wednesday with Kristoff. He didn't have a stall but he sold ice off the back of his sled. She would sit with him and tell him about basically everything that she had seen, heard or thought of during the week. He didn't talk much, but she knew he wasn't annoyed by her.

He trusted her to watch his ice while he went to find them lunch, though she suspected he had asked Sven to watch Anna watch the ice. Anna had told him he didn't need to buy her lunch but he had insisted. Quietly Anna loved that he did it. He always found something new for her to try – she never realized there was so much variety in food! Kristoff said a lot of it wasn't traditional Andrelle 'fancy food', so he wasn't surprised they didn't serve it in the castle.

Between exploring the market, talking to Kristoff, watching the people, she'd even tried her hand as an ice saleswoman – Wednesdays were Anna's favorite.

Except for maybe Thursdays. Anna spent Thursdays with Kristoff as well. There was always something for Anna to do in the morning, but Kristoff didn't mind helping. Then they ate lunch in the castle kitchen and spent the afternoon on some kind of adventure. Anna dragged him all over the castle, showing him all her favorite places. Other times Kristoff would take Anna out into the woods at the base of the mountain, and show her trails and rivers and trees bigger than Anna could ever have imagined!

Thursdays were Anna's actual favorite day. Thursdays were so good that they almost ruined Fridays.

Friday, Anna's whole weekend really, was devoted to socialization. The castle was open to noble visitors on Fridays so Anna always had someone to have tea with. If Wednesday and Thursday weren't so great, Anna would have loved Fridays. She enjoyed meeting new people and some of the noble families had daughters that were around Anna's age which was nice. But although Elsa said it was important for them to be accessible to the nobles, Elsa herself never came, not even once. Anna understood that Elsa wasn't comfortabl, but not having Elsa there made Anna feel less confident, more vulnerable somehow. The various noble women who Anna entertained on Fridays just seemed to look at her funny, like she'd done something wrong without realizing, or she had something on her face and she hadn't noticed.

Every weekend there was some kind of ball or feast or formal dinner or performance to attend. Anna loved her dresses and she couldn't ever get over how beautiful everything and everyone looked. She still enjoyed watching the people, though the amount that they watched her right back was a little disconcerting. Her favorite was the performances, she loved watching them act out her favorite stories, and the music was always just incredible.

She was constantly by Hans' side at these weekend events. He didn't like to participate really and Anna totally got that – she was a people watcher too! But she loved to dance, but he didn't like for her to dance with anyone else so Anna only got to do the opening dance, and only then because it was tradition. But the food was always fantastic! Anna got to sit next to Elsa and Elsa always made sure to spend at least as much time talking to Anna as she did to everyone else.

Then, all of a sudden, it would be Monday again! Time was flying by, and it was by far the happiest Anna had ever been.

Anna didn't like to complain. She knew she was being greedy. She had spent her whole life desperate for the gates to be open and now that they were somehow she still wasn't satisfied. She loved being so busy all the time, but after Thursday she'd spend the whole weekend feeling a little off, like something (Someone, perhaps?) was missing. Anna didn't want to point any fingers, but the feeling tended to spike when she felt the pressure of Hans' hand on the small of her back, guiding her around, or when she turned to say something at dinner, part of her almost expecting someone else, only to see his face instead.

It was upsetting, but Anna couldn't help but imagine how it might have all been different.

**{ - }**

**A/N - **Hi all! It's been a little while since I updated, so I just posted a quick one to get back in the habit. I have been reading through earlier chapters and I realize I need to make a few edits. Mostly I really need to pick a tense! Sorry for any annoyances when I'm updating old chapters. I will try and post a new chapter every time I post an edited chapter that way the alerts won't get super irritating.

As always I would really enjoy hearing your thoughts!


	8. Chapter 8

**Plunge **

**Chapter 8**

**{ - }**

The last few weeks have been, bar none, the best of Kristoff's life. He has money, more than he's use to having because the castle is buying everything he harvests. He can afford to book an actual room for himself on the nights he spends in the city, rather than hiding out in a stable with Sven. He loves being able to buy Anna lunch when she visits him at the market. He's never been in a position to do that before and he spends a lot of time on the mountain each week thinking of new foods to get her to try.

Well, in all honestly, he spends a _lot _of time on the mountain each week thinking about her.

He loves her. He loves her and she's married and it's going to _suck_ when it goes bad, but he can't help himself. He hasn't had much to look forward to in his life, so he takes it all one week at a time and relishes every day that he gets to spend with her. One day they'll all be memories, after all.

Today he's going to take her to one of the smaller lakes at the base of the mountain. Last week she had taken him through all of the castle's portraits so he could see her parents. Little Anna had been adorable. She had told him about what she could remember of the time before Elsa had disappeared, when her family was still whole. Understandably, it still made her sad to talk about, but everything was so much better now that it was hard for her to stay down for long.

Kristoff wasn't so good at all that. The talking bits. He wanted to try though. If it felt right, maybe he would tell her a bit about the trolls today at the lake. He knew she really wanted to know about them.

She's late though. Almost always late. Kristoff smiled fondly. He hadn't expected her to be this late though, or he would have waited for her with Sven, who was tied to one of the posts outside the stables over by the gate. Well, he never really had to tie Sven up. He just looped the rope around a couple of times. It was all symbolic for them. Sven would probably have a better idea of how to conduct himself inside the castle than Kristoff, that's for sure!

Kristoff had come to hover around the base of the stairs Anna would most likely come down. He leaned against the cool stone wall, enjoying the cold that seeped in to his shoulders through his shirt. It was an unusually warm day. He liked it here, it was a good vantage point for him to watch people going about their days. The courtyard got so busy in the afternoons. People in Andrelle really liked to be outside whenever they get the opportunity.

Kristoff noticed Hans across the courtyard, flanked, as usual, by two guards. It annoyed Kristoff to no end that Hans always had those two guards. He thinks it must be some kind of status symbol, that Hans is important enough to warrant constant protection.

Andrelle _loves_ their new Prince. There has been a constant buzz of speculation about when Anna will announce her pregnancy. Everyone assumes that's why they got married so fast, but they're all a bunch of hypocrites. The man made a literal, sword swinging attempt on the Queen's life and they're all happy to write it off as an overprotective husband, as long as they get a royal baby out of it.

Disgusting.

Besides, Kristoff knows she's not pregnant. No way she could keep _that _secret. And he doesn't think that they're… cohabiting.

Yet.

Kristoff rolls his shoulders back and forces his thoughts onto a different track.

Inside the castle, it was a different story, Kristoff could tell. No one had said anything to him, of course. They didn't really know what to make of Kristoff in the staff sections. He didn't work for the family, but he got a salary. He paid social calls on the royal family, but he came and went through the servant's entrance. So, no, no one had come out and _told_ him that they collectively hate Hans, but it was still blatantly clear. Servants don't refer to their masters and mistresses formally behind their back unless they hate them.

Speaking of, Kristoff notices Hans and guards heading across the courtyard towards him.

Hans had not taken well to Kristoff's increased presence in Anna's life. Frankly, Kristoff wouldn't have it any other way. He's here until Elsa specifically tells him otherwise, and even then he and Anna would probably keep meeting in the market.

"Christopher," Hans calls in greeting as he comes to a halt in front of Kristoff.

Kristoff hates him.

_Hates_ him.

These little meetings have become common. Hans appears, spends a few minutes reminding Kristoff that he's the scum stuck to the bottom of Hans' horses' hooves, then he heads off, back to whatever it is that the kind of person who marries a princess sends his days doing.

Hans makes a meaningful face at Kristoff's slouched stance, so Kristoff pushes himself off the wall so he's standing a little more at attention, as is expected when someone of Kristoff's station is in the presence of one of his _betters_.

"Kristoff, Prince Hans." He corrected, knowing it was a pointless exercise. As expected, Hans ignored Kristoff's correction with a dismissive little wave of his gloved hand. But he did seem satisfied with kristoff's use of his title. Their first few conversations had been almost entirely devoted to Hans constantly asking if he really must continue to remind Kristoff to use the royal family's appropriate titles. Kristoff didn't like it, but he wasn't stupid.

"And what's a fellow like yourself doing at the castle?"

**Hates him.**

Kristoff can't ignore a direct question from a Prince though, so he grits his teeth and says, "Meeting Anna. Princess Anna."

Hans smiles when Kristoff corrects himself, showing off a lot of shiny white teeth.

"Sir. I will admit that you've improved a great deal faster than I had expected, but you must remember to address me as Sir."

It's not a direct question, so Kristoff doesn't respond.

Hans moves a little closer, looking right up into Kristoff's face now, unconcerned by his smaller stature. They're both aware of the balance of power in this situation. For all that he is over 6 feet tell, Kristoff may as well be a child here.

"I'd like for you to practice it."

Kristoff grits his teeth. Hans is looking for a reason to have Kristoff removed from the castle. He thinks he can provoke a reaction that will be embarrassing for Anna.

_Princess Anna, your (peasant) guest had to be forcible removed from the castle grounds because he couldn't spend ten minutes waiting for you without causing a scene. He will, from now on, be meeting you behind the castle's pigsty. _

"Sir," Kristoff grunts.

"No, no, come on, the whole sentence."

Kristoff's jaw aches, but he spits out, "I am waiting for Princess Anna, Sir."

Hans slaps Kristoff on the shoulder with a friendly smile, "good man! We'll work on maintaining eye contact next I think."

Kristoff remains silent. The fact that this man truly believes he was born with the right to put his hands on Kristoff, makes his blood boil.

"What's on the docket for today then? Another trip to the dressmakers?"

Kristoff is secure enough in his masculinity, he _harvests ice_ for a living after all, to admit that accompanying Anna to a dress fitting had been very enjoyable. He loves to see her so excited.

"I'm not sure," he said.

"Don't have much pride, do you? You really do just follow her around all day?"

"Yup," said Kristoff, bluntly.

His tone is not well received, however. Hans visibly ruffles.

"I, of course, would like to think of myself as a having rather more pride than that. I'm not the sort of man who would be able to live off of charity the way you do. Though, I suppose, one does what one must to survive."

Kristoff doesn't live off of charity. He has earned every single thing he had. But, just because Hans had hit a nerve, didn't mean Kristoff had to react. Besides, it's easy to make statements like that when you've lived your whole life in a castle.

"Of course," Hans continues, his voice going low, "we all know what's really going on. What kind of a _man_ accepts a nonsensical royal appointment? I mean _Royal Ice Master? _To a Queen who can summon ice to her very fingertips? It's just sad. The same kind of man, I suppose, who spends his days sniffing after another man's wife," Hans smiles and waits a beat. Kristoff, somehow, says nothing.

This has all gone much, much further than any other encounter he has had with Hans since the bribe. Usually he wishes Kristoff good luck in finding a dress his size and that's the end of it.

Kristoff cannot remember the last time he was this angry. His fists are clenched, all of the muscles in his back are vibrating and his fingers are digging hard into his palm. Worst of all, he knows Hans can see it.

_Where's Anna?_

"Are you ignoring me, Christopher?"

"No," he pushes the syllable out through his teeth.

"No, Sir, I think you mean."

Kristoff says nothing. He is at his limit. He would just leave, hoping that Anna would come looking for him in town if he did, but he can't be the one who walks away from a conversation with a Prince.

"Don't make the mistake of thinking I don't know what's going on here," Hans is almost whispering in Kristoff's ear at this point and, against all his judgment, Kristoff finds himself straining to hear, "I know you had her out there in those mountains. I know you took her, and I will not be made a fool-"

Kristoff hits him. Once, right in the face, then he grabs the stunned Prince and throws him up against the stone wall, he only has a few seconds to relish the feeling of pressing Hans' face into the uneven stone, "Don't you _ever talk about her like-" _before he is ripped away. There are more than two guards now. Closer to twelve. Kristoff is forced to his knees, several men restraining each of his arms, he is still angry but the dire level of his utter stupidity is beginning to sink in.

He's ruined it.

There are shouts across the courtyard, and Kristoff hears familiar hooves as Sven successfully rips himself free and charges, antlers down, to Kristoff's rescue.

"NO! Sven, no!" Kristoff calls, desperate. His friend could easily kill someone, charging like that.

Sven stops. He has time to throw Kristoff a confused look, _But I've got your back, _Kristoff can almost read in his expression, before Sven too is swarmed by guards.

Hans has recovered himself, though there are small pieces of gravel from the wall embedded in his cheek and his nose is bleeding, and he appears before Kristoff, sneering and triumphant.

"Put this ruffian in the stocks," he says to someone over Kristoff's shoulder, then, "And I want that animal _eliminated_ at dawn tomorrow."

Kristoff's heart drops.

"No!" he shouts, desperate, "You can't!"

Hans leans in, just as close as he was before, safe knowing that Kristoff is entirely restrained, and tells him, "you will _never_ touch my wife again," and with that he turns and leaves, without giving the chaos behind him a second glance.

Sven makes a loud, desperate bleating sounds as he is dragged away. He's been tied up by his feet and they're just dragging him along the rough ground.

"SVEN!" Kristoff bucked and thrashed frantically but he didn't have a chance. They get him all the way into town and even the stocks prove resistant to Kristoff's anger. He's shaking with exhaustion and emotion as the sun sets over Andrelle.

He tries not to worry. Anna won't let it happen.

She won't.

**{ - }**

**A/N - **Sorry for the delay! I won't make you wait long for the next one, I promise! As always, I would love to know what you think!


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